CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket Podcast Stephen Hedges

In this week's episode we meet the Head of Heritage and Collections at the MCC, Neil Robinson.

We begin by talking about how, where and when Neil began his affiliation with the game of cricket.  Specifically, it was the 1981 Ashes and Bob Willis' phenomenal last day performance in the Headingley Test.

Yorkshire was the nearest first class county to him in the North East so he became a fan of the club.  He has followed Durham's progression as a first class county.

Neil then tells us a little bit about his journey to the position that he currently holds.  From an initial period as a library student in 2004 he managed to get a permanent job in 2006.  He became the Head of Heritage and Collections in 2019.

The Museum is not as old as the Lords cricket ground.  In fact, it was officially opened in 1953 but the collections do go back much further.  Neil outlines the details of how the museum and collections have grown over the past 150 years.

Neil outlines what has happened to the museum in the time he has been there.  Principally, this has been the development of a proper cataloguing system so that museum staff and those researching aspects of the game can search and find material they can use to tell the story of the game of cricket through the work of this hugely influential institution.  He then gives us a brief 'virtual' guide to the museum itself.

Recent developments in cricket have led some to question the equality and diversity in the history of the game.  Neil describes the way in which the museum's approach to telling cricket history has thrown a light on some of the issues raised in the ICEC Report of 2023.

To finish the episode, Neil talks about some of the items in the collection that he regards as significant and important finishing with the story of the Ashes urn.

The museum website, where you can find details of how you can visit the museum and / or use it for research:

https://www.lords.org/lords/conferences-and-events/museum

For those who are interested in learning a little more about Neil and his work, you can read a transcribed interview with him here:

https://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/interview-neil-robinson-the-library-and-research-manager-at-lords-293870/

Back in 2020 during lock-down, Neil was a guest on the wonderful Oborne and Heller on Cricket Podcast.  To listen, go here:

https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-22-talking-with-mccs-head-of-heritage-and-collections-neil-robinson/

Anna Harris has only been an umpire for 9 years but she has had a meteoric rise through the ranks to become an international umpire on the women's circuit and operating at just under first class level in the men's game.

We begin by talking about Anna's early life in High Wycombe and Brighton and how she started by picking up a plastic cricket bat at school aged 5.  She talks about her development as a cricketer through Buckinghamshire's junior ranks.  She was an England player in her late teens and kept up her playing when she came to University in Cardiff.  Anna talks a little bit about her playing as a batter and a leg spin bowler.

She recounts her highest score of 124 at the Malvern Festival and turning the ball to take a wicket.

Her umpiring began as a way of making a little bit of pocket money but she took it up more seriously when she went on a gap year to Australia.  She played cricket for Melbourne Cricket Club and umpired in the local Melbourne men's league.

Anna outlines the pathway that currently exists for men's and women's cricket umpiring and how she progressed as an umpire and how this has all changed even in the short time she has been umpiring.  She now umpires in National Counties cricket and is on the panel for professional women's cricket in the UK.  She is also on the panel of umpires for the ICC and can umpire in international women's matches.

We talk about some of the people that have inspired her development as an umpire and then some of the important moments in her career to date including being part of the first all female team to umpire in an ECB accredited men's premier league match and her international debut aged 22 years old.

Anna talks about her views on umpiring, where it sits in the game and what are the most important aspects of it for her.  She confronts the fear that all umpires must have of making a mistake and also about the nature of the umpire's role, the way she turns her levels of concentration on and off.  We talk about giving lbw decisions and how Anna prepares herself for these.  She talks about the 42 laws of the game and the unwritten one, 43, that deals with the unexpected.

Anna talks about the controversial decision made at the England v India ODI and what it was like to be part of that as an umpire:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/sep/24/england-women-india-third-one-day-international-cricket

We then talk about a few od Anna's special memries so far as an umpire including the 2023 Ashes Series:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jun/26/england-australia-womens-ashes-test-match-ash-gardner-cricket-report

We talk about the things that Anna takes with her onto the field of play, the image of umpiring and then talk about how she came to Wales and how she has enjoyed her time here.

Finally, we talk about the future and what Anna wants to do with her life and her umpiring.

For those who want to hear Anna talk a a little bit more you can try these videos:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=656508298940893

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpMhmMeT6sk

And you can read this article from the ECB about the women's T20 World Cup in which Anna officiated.

You can follow Anna on X at a_y_harris

In this episode we talk to Sue Wells, Area Manager for Cricket Wales North.

Her Cricket Wales biography can be found here:

https://cricketwales.org.uk/our-team/sue-wells

Sue tells us about her early life in Shropshire and the farming family she was born into.  She remembers never being without sport in her life and her first love was kicking  a ball.  She joined her first team aged 7 or 8 and joined her first organised club, Wem Town.  Sue talks about her football career, winning a national football competition with Shropshire Girls football, even though she missed a penalty in the final!  She had an England trial at aged under 16 and has played for a couple of welsh clubs.  Her biggest regret, other than being injured early in her career, wa snever having the opportunity to play for Wrexham.

Sports development came on top of Sue's commitment as a coach and referee.  It was at University that she discovered Sports Science and then that sports development was an option.  She completed a Masters Degree in sports development researching women and girls football and through that she got offered her first opportunity working as a Girls and Womens development officer for Suffolk Football Association.

Sue tells us a little bit about her work in Suffolk and her achievements which includesd re-organising a league and raising the profile of the womens game in that part of the UK.  She also talks about her links with the University of Chester and the lecturing role she performed there.

Sue came to Cricket Wales in 2016 but she has always loved watching the game.  She mentions the 2005 Ashes as a major influence on her love of the game.   She outlines the patch she covers in her job and the team that she leads.  She then outlines the roles that she has responsibility for you as a Cricket Wales Area Manager:


Coach Education,Women & Girls’ Cricket Chance to Shine All Stars & Dynamos Supporting the club, league and volunteer network
Sue confesses that she might be taking the plunge and participating in a softball cricket team this summer and then talks a little bit about funding, the partners that cricket wales has and how she works with them to deliver as many opportunities as possible to a wide range of young people.

We get Sue to reflect on the similarities between different sports when it comes to sports development as well as some of the unique things about cricket and her 'patch' in North / mid wales.

The growth of the women's and girls game is something that Sue is very proud of  in her role as well as the growth and development in the mid wales junior cricket league which was reformed in the last couple of years.  She mentions the young Ukrainian cricketer that was mention in the Chance to Shine impact report.  This video captures the story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zc2NK8YmP4

Rewarding volunteers is very important to Sue and she talks about some of the ways she tries to reward them.  We then talk about some of the challenges she has had in her role.  Sue mentions one or two individuals who have helped her in her role.

We finish with Sue talking about her hopes for the future of the game and the area she works in and a few reflections on her own role and where she might be in a few years time.

To contact Sue, you can follow her on X at @suecricketwales or email her:

sue.wells@cricketwales.org.uk

In this episode we meet six cricketers from in and around Swansea who play in the relatively new mid-week cricket league, the Tawe League.  The players are:

Ataur Rahman Jaber  (Swansea Warriors)
Abdul Mustak  (Swansea Rising Stars)
Amit Shivani  (Swansea Strikers)
Raj Tilak  (Deccan Chargers)
Krishna Prasanth  (Master Blasters)
Gigi George  (Swansea Spartans)

They tell us a little bit about their own personal histories, where they first played cricket, and how they fell in love with the game.

The talk then moves on to talking about how they found a place to play cricket when they came to Wales.  Some of them talk about their links with local clubs and they talk about the difficulty of finding equipment and the desperate need to have a local sports shop dedicated to cricket.

The Tawe League has its origins in a lot of friendly cricket that took place between different groups of, predominantly, south asian cricketers up to and around 2020.  Jaber talks about meeting Keri Chahal from cricket wales and Paul  from Ynystawe Cricket Club and how the league became more organised and, in his view, more spicy !

Finding proper pitches and places to practice has been hard but it has also meant that players meet, train and mix socially.  They now talk about the eight clubs that comprise the league.

Raj talks about how competitive the league is and how the competition makes the experience much more interesting.  Amit adds that the League can and does act as a 'feeder' system for local league clubs.

We talk a little bit about the names of the teams and their origins and how their approach to cricket affects all these things.

Mustak explains the 'Finals Day' that comes at the end of the season and how important it is to the development of the league.  It is hoped that it will continue to grow as an event and Amit was very thankful to Ynystawe Cricket Club for hosting this event.

The Tawe league has used Ynystawe Park, Briton Ferry CC, Baglan CC pitches and this year there will be games at Felinfoel  as well.

The gentlemen finish by talking about their hopes for the season and for the league.

Anyone interested in the Tawe League either as a player, supporter or, indeed, a sponsor should contact Keri Chahal on:

keri.chahal@cricketwales.org.uk

This is the last of 3 episodes of the podcast devoted to one of Glamorgan’s greatest ever players, Matthew Maynard.
He begins by talking about coaching, both young players as well as elite cricketers and praises the philosophy of the current England coach and captain, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
He mentions one instance with Marcus Trescothick which was the exception to his experiences when coaching with England.  This, for him, is the essence of coaching elite players, finding solutions to puzzles.  It is, when all is said and done, about finding ways to score.
Matt talks about the limits to video analysis and statistics and the importance of encouraging players to trust their instincts.  Getting your own performance right is what he emphasises.  Stick to your own strengths.
Matt’s England career started as a bit of a surprise to him.  He describes the experience of turning up for his debut and being given a cap with someone else’s name in it.  He never felt that he was wanted in the England set up and felt that this was indicative of the England Team in the 80s and 90s.  Reflecting on the experience he felt he just needed more time to acclimatise to the Test and One Day International arena and, for whatever reason, never got that time.
He tells the story of how he decided to learn to drive the Team coach whilst being Director of Cricket at Somerset!
We talk about the opportunities available to young cricketers in Wales and his plans for the future and we finish with his thoughts on being an umpire,  being on a committee and whether he feels 100% welsh!
If you want to donate to Matt’s Wellyman Walk, go here:
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mattwellymanwalk

In this episode, Matt talks about captaincy, the dilemmas of selection, the 1997 Championship Winning Season, his trip to Lords for the Benson and Hedges Cup Final and the first steps in his coaching career.

Matt is still completing his Wellyman Walk for the Professional Cricketers Trust and Help for Heroes.

The following is taken from his JustGiving Page:
Former England Test cricketer Matt Maynard is to walk the length of the country in wellington boots all in aid of two charities close to his heart. 
In October this year, the Glamorgan coach will take on the epic challenge from Lands End to John OGroats (LEJOG), a total of 1,189 miles, to raise much-needed funds for the Professional Cricketers Trust and Help For Heroes. 
Although Maynard may have spent a career trying to avoid being dismissed LBW, this time he is embracing it: By completing LEJOG By Wellies or LBW. 
This will be Maynards second Wellyman walk, having previously travelled from Cardiff to Colwyn Bay for the Tom Maynard Trust, set up following the tragic death of his son in 2012. 
Maynard hopes to be joined by cricketing figures along the route and would also welcome the company of other walkers who are simply keen to offer their support and encouragement. 
The Professional Cricketers' Trust is a registered charity created to support the health and well-being of PCA members and their immediate families for the whole of their lives. The assistance we provide includes: medical advice, provision of specialist equipment, funding operations and providing support for health and wellbeing issues. 
Help for Heroes champions the Armed Forces community and helps them live well after service. The charity helps them, and their families, to recover and get on with their lives. It has already supported more than 27,000 people and wont stop until every veteran gets the support they deserve.

To donate to the Walk, go here:

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mattwellymanwalk

Please try to ensure that Matt reaches his target of £20,000